Same exercise while figuring out maintenance cal?

Wingg_

I'm in the process of finding my maintenance cal but I gain a kg after upping my cal and I want to switch my exercise from figurerobic to cardio. I up my cal from 1420 to 1550 and gained a kg after a few days... I'm 158cm and before the gain I was 42kg. I am doing 30min of figurerobic daily and not eating back my exercise cal. I would like to know if it is okay that I switch from doing figurerobic to cardio while finding my maintenance cal, will this result in me finding the inaccurate maintenance cal?

Let me emphasis this just in case some of you guys think that I'm trying to lose weight, but I am not. I've never tried to lose weight with myfitnesspal. I started using myfitnesspal to maintenance my weight and not to lose weight at all. I'm asking this because I do not want the gaining weight trend to continue. I really appreciate your help!!

whitebalance

Controlled experiments yield a more accurate understanding. If you change just one variable at a time, you'll have an easier time figuring out what's happening to the overall equation.

About 6 weeks ago, I panicked over my bench weight going down and my scale showing a loss of a few pounds of lean body mass... I raised my calorie target, cut my cardio, and reduced my weight workout all at once. You can guess what happened; I gained a pound of fat in under a month. Once I settled down and started making my changes in a more controlled manner, my results started getting a little more predictable, or at least understandable.

Wingg_

Controlled experiments yield a more accurate understanding. If you change just one variable at a time, you'll have an easier time figuring out what's happening to the overall equation.

About 6 weeks ago, I panicked over my bench weight going down and my scale showing a loss of a few pounds of lean body mass... I raised my calorie target, cut my cardio, and reduced my weight workout all at once. You can guess what happened; I gained a pound of fat in under a month. Once I settled down and started making my changes in a more controlled manner, my results started getting a little more predictable, or at least understandable.

This sounds like setting up a science experiment! Thanks for the advice!

The_Enginerd

I'd also like to add, it's natural for your weight to fluctuate by several pounds up/down. While figuring out your maintenance calories, you want to give it at least several weeks and look at the long term trend before making a change.

heybales

Since you know mathematically it can't be anything but water weight eating only some 100 more calories for couple days - let it ride.

The same water weight everyone drops at first based purely on storing less carbs is gain back now that you are eating more.

Same spike many get having a big carb day or meal.

amiramakh

My dear 42kg is very thin, I wouldn't worry about the 1kg gain at all.

Wingg_

Since you know mathematically it can't be anything but water weight eating only some 100 more calories for couple days - let it ride.

The same water weight everyone drops at first based purely on storing less carbs is gain back now that you are eating more.

Same spike many get having a big carb day or meal.

But I binged a few days before upping to 1550 though I ate 1250 for a few days after the binge before upping the cal and also I saved up some cal for the binge I'm not sure if the weight gained is caused by the binge...

Wingg_

I'd also like to add, it's natural for your weight to fluctuate by several pounds up/down. While figuring out your maintenance calories, you want to give it at least several weeks and look at the long term trend before making a change.

Alright, since this is part of the process of finding maintenance cal~ I shall not change anything, and stick to what I'm doing for a few weeks more.

Wingg_

My dear 42kg is very thin, I wouldn't worry about the 1kg gain at all.

I'm afraid that I may continue to gain weight... You know a kg after a kg and I may end up being like, I don't know... 70kg??

overcominglazy

Firstly, you are really quite underweight. Any weight you gain will not be a bad thing as being a low weight can lead to health problems such as osteoporosis. So it's a good thing that you're not looking to weigh any less. To stop being underweight, you would actually have to go up to 46-47kgs. To be overweight, you'd need to be 62-63kgs. So believe me, you would notice before you reached that number.

Your weight is not a thing that can stay at only one number. I think it's normal to fluctuate two or so kilograms at maintenance. And again, gaining weight would not be a bad thing for you.

Try working out what your maintenance would be with the exercise you're doing using a TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) calculator. That way, you don't need to think about eating back exercise calories but you will still be eating sufficiently. And then, after doing this for a few weeks, you'd be able to see the impact it had on your weight.

Wingg_

Firstly, you are really quite underweight. Any weight you gain will not be a bad thing as being a low weight can lead to health problems such as osteoporosis. So it's a good thing that you're not looking to weigh any less. To stop being underweight, you would actually have to go up to 46-47kgs. To be overweight, you'd need to be 62-63kgs. So believe me, you would notice before you reached that number.

Your weight is not a thing that can stay at only one number. I think it's normal to fluctuate two or so kilograms at maintenance. And again, gaining weight would not be a bad thing for you.

Try working out what your maintenance would be with the exercise you're doing using a TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) calculator. That way, you don't need to think about eating back exercise calories but you will still be eating sufficiently. And then, after doing this for a few weeks, you'd be able to see the impact it had on your weight.

I am underweight? :noway: i don't look underweight Hahahahaha. I do not own a fit bit so I am not sure how much I burn through exercise so I don't eat those calories back and now that I've gained a kg after upping my cal I don't think I'm gonna eat back the exercise cal...

beaches222

Bump for later as I am trying to figure out my maintenance calories as well.

sola24

Firstly, you are really quite underweight. Any weight you gain will not be a bad thing as being a low weight can lead to health problems such as osteoporosis. So it's a good thing that you're not looking to weigh any less. To stop being underweight, you would actually have to go up to 46-47kgs. To be overweight, you'd need to be 62-63kgs. So believe me, you would notice before you reached that number.

Your weight is not a thing that can stay at only one number. I think it's normal to fluctuate two or so kilograms at maintenance. And again, gaining weight would not be a bad thing for you.

Try working out what your maintenance would be with the exercise you're doing using a TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) calculator. That way, you don't need to think about eating back exercise calories but you will still be eating sufficiently. And then, after doing this for a few weeks, you'd be able to see the impact it had on your weight.

I am underweight? :noway: i don't look underweight Hahahahaha. I do not own a fit bit so I am not sure how much I burn through exercise so I don't eat those calories back and now that I've gained a kg after upping my cal I don't think I'm gonna eat back the exercise cal...

Your healthy weight range is 46-62kgs.. so yeah.. you are underweight..

heybales

Firstly, you are really quite underweight. Any weight you gain will not be a bad thing as being a low weight can lead to health problems such as osteoporosis. So it's a good thing that you're not looking to weigh any less. To stop being underweight, you would actually have to go up to 46-47kgs. To be overweight, you'd need to be 62-63kgs. So believe me, you would notice before you reached that number.

Your weight is not a thing that can stay at only one number. I think it's normal to fluctuate two or so kilograms at maintenance. And again, gaining weight would not be a bad thing for you.

Try working out what your maintenance would be with the exercise you're doing using a TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) calculator. That way, you don't need to think about eating back exercise calories but you will still be eating sufficiently. And then, after doing this for a few weeks, you'd be able to see the impact it had on your weight.

I am underweight? :noway: i don't look underweight Hahahahaha. I do not own a fit bit so I am not sure how much I burn through exercise so I don't eat those calories back and now that I've gained a kg after upping my cal I don't think I'm gonna eat back the exercise cal...

Then either you have a distorted self-image, or you have ended up skinny-fat. Weight good, BF% bad, or at least in wrong places making it look like you are fatter.
Like flappy arms or muffin top or other.

You won't get as much out of your work out either if you don't eat enough.

So rethink what the weight is, get your mind over the fact water weight is ok, if because of higher sodium meal, it'll flush out, if because of lifting heavy, your body got a good workout, if because of increased glucose stores, you just increased LBM and metabolism - so it really doesn't matter, and is in fact beneficial in the 2 latter cases.

overcominglazy

Firstly, you are really quite underweight. Any weight you gain will not be a bad thing as being a low weight can lead to health problems such as osteoporosis. So it's a good thing that you're not looking to weigh any less. To stop being underweight, you would actually have to go up to 46-47kgs. To be overweight, you'd need to be 62-63kgs. So believe me, you would notice before you reached that number.

Your weight is not a thing that can stay at only one number. I think it's normal to fluctuate two or so kilograms at maintenance. And again, gaining weight would not be a bad thing for you.

Try working out what your maintenance would be with the exercise you're doing using a TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) calculator. That way, you don't need to think about eating back exercise calories but you will still be eating sufficiently. And then, after doing this for a few weeks, you'd be able to see the impact it had on your weight.

I am underweight? :noway: i don't look underweight Hahahahaha. I do not own a fit bit so I am not sure how much I burn through exercise so I don't eat those calories back and now that I've gained a kg after upping my cal I don't think I'm gonna eat back the exercise cal...

Yeah, you are by about 4kgs which is significant when you're already small (that's like 10% of your weight). You don't need to know exactly what your exercise calories are, just the intensity you do it to and how long for. A TDEE calculator will give you a good estimate and you can tweak it from there. Here's one calculator: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ but I'm sure there are others you can play around with.

If you are doing exercise, then you need calories to fuel it. I don't think 1400 is enough to cut it if you're not even eating back exercise calories. Anything you gain eating that amount but exercising will likely be water weight and so fixating on this 1kg that you have 'gained' is counterproductive.

heybales

But I binged a few days before upping to 1550 though I ate 1250 for a few days after the binge before upping the cal and also I saved up some cal for the binge I'm not sure if the weight gained is caused by the binge...

You do know the math right, if you think it is fat?

3500 calories about in a lb of fat. Do the math, show us what you got.

So increase of weight in lbs x 3500 = the excess calories you must have eaten if it was really fat gain.

That excess calories / number of days for the increase = daily overage average.

That's not over a deficit eating goal, that's over real maintenance that includes exercise. Eaten every day of whatever time you think you gained bad weight to be concerned about.

Ya it's caused by the binge - you depleted glucose stores by eating even less than normal leading up to it, some fat too. You binged, body finally had enough to restore the glucose which requires water. 500 calories stored weighs 1 lb in weight with both together.

Tell you what, this kind of thinking and response shows a bad relationship with food, read the forums of ladies in their 50-60's that have come to the realization they have dieted their life away because of this bad relationship and the decisions it causes.

Do you really want to have this extra stress in life and diet your life away and have a bad relationship with food - because of a stupid number on a scale - which I'm pretty sure you don't wear on your back for all to see with the last weight displayed?
Which frankly to anyone else would be meaningless anyway.

QuietBloom

My dear 42kg is very thin, I wouldn't worry about the 1kg gain at all.

Do we know her height? I must have missed it.

Wingg_

My dear 42kg is very thin, I wouldn't worry about the 1kg gain at all.

Do we know her height? I must have missed it.

I'm short... 158cm only...

Wingg_

But I binged a few days before upping to 1550 though I ate 1250 for a few days after the binge before upping the cal and also I saved up some cal for the binge I'm not sure if the weight gained is caused by the binge...

You do know the math right, if you think it is fat?

3500 calories about in a lb of fat. Do the math, show us what you got.

So increase of weight in lbs x 3500 = the excess calories you must have eaten if it was really fat gain.

That excess calories / number of days for the increase = daily overage average.

That's not over a deficit eating goal, that's over real maintenance that includes exercise. Eaten every day of whatever time you think you gained bad weight to be concerned about.

Ya it's caused by the binge - you depleted glucose stores by eating even less than normal leading up to it, some fat too. You binged, body finally had enough to restore the glucose which requires water. 500 calories stored weighs 1 lb in weight with both together.

Tell you what, this kind of thinking and response shows a bad relationship with food, read the forums of ladies in their 50-60's that have come to the realization they have dieted their life away because of this bad relationship and the decisions it causes.

Do you really want to have this extra stress in life and diet your life away and have a bad relationship with food - because of a stupid number on a scale - which I'm pretty sure you don't wear on your back for all to see with the last weight displayed?
Which frankly to anyone else would be meaningless anyway.

Not gonna diet my away, but upon seeing the number of people getting obese increasing rapidly makes me want to control myself (even though I have occasional binge)..

Wingg_

Firstly, you are really quite underweight. Any weight you gain will not be a bad thing as being a low weight can lead to health problems such as osteoporosis. So it's a good thing that you're not looking to weigh any less. To stop being underweight, you would actually have to go up to 46-47kgs. To be overweight, you'd need to be 62-63kgs. So believe me, you would notice before you reached that number.

Your weight is not a thing that can stay at only one number. I think it's normal to fluctuate two or so kilograms at maintenance. And again, gaining weight would not be a bad thing for you.

Try working out what your maintenance would be with the exercise you're doing using a TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) calculator. That way, you don't need to think about eating back exercise calories but you will still be eating sufficiently. And then, after doing this for a few weeks, you'd be able to see the impact it had on your weight.

I am underweight? :noway: i don't look underweight Hahahahaha. I do not own a fit bit so I am not sure how much I burn through exercise so I don't eat those calories back and now that I've gained a kg after upping my cal I don't think I'm gonna eat back the exercise cal...

Yeah, you are by about 4kgs which is significant when you're already small (that's like 10% of your weight). You don't need to know exactly what your exercise calories are, just the intensity you do it to and how long for. A TDEE calculator will give you a good estimate and you can tweak it from there. Here's one calculator: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ but I'm sure there are others you can play around with.

If you are doing exercise, then you need calories to fuel it. I don't think 1400 is enough to cut it if you're not even eating back exercise calories. Anything you gain eating that amount but exercising will likely be water weight and so fixating on this 1kg that you have 'gained' is counterproductive.

I'm currently eating 1550, the exercise that I'm doing is not that intensive so I am unsure about eating the cal back...

LINIA

You weigh about 95 pounds and you are very short, only 5 feet tall.
Maintenance is difficult and you are correct to be worried about gaining too much too quickly, also at your height...even 10 more pounds would be quite noticable if it all goes to your belly.

I'd be careful here taking advice from people who don't really understand the problems of very short women.

You may do better asking people is a sub-group:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/499-not-that-heavy-girls